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Saturday, 20 July 2013

Sepia Saturday 186;

Helvetia

is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation.

Helvetia on the right with Geneva; National monument in Geneva Switzerland.

The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as a symbol of confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest.

Old stamp;

Swiss money;

The Swiss Confederation continues to use the name in its Latin form. The name Helvetia appears on postage stamps, coins and other uses; the full name, Confœderatio Helvetica, is abbreviated for uses such as on vehicle registration codes, CH.

A really interesting turn on the iconic woman. It made me look up "National personification" on Wikipedia where I was surprised at how many nations have a female figure to represent the concept of nation,